The Core Node's chamber pulsed with blinding light, its rune-covered surface humming like a living thing. Nyx stood frozen, her holo-pad warm in her hands, the words Access Granted—Elara Voss still glowing on its cracked screen. The sealed door trapped her and Jace inside, cutting them off from the rune-lit mech and its chilling voice—Prometheus, Nexus's AI, hunting her. The air crackled, thick with data and something heavier, like the weight of her past. Her head throbbed, the runes in her mind syncing with the node, pulling up another memory: a lab, her child self screaming, runes burning into her soul.
The memory sharpened: a woman with dark hair and kind eyes leaned over her, whispering, "Elara, you're stronger than their Code." Machines whirred, and a scientist barked, "She's syncing too fast—Prometheus is responding!" Pain followed, her small body shaking as runes glowed on her skin. Nyx gasped, snapping back to the chamber. Her nose bled, her leg ached from the plasma graze, and her vision blurred. Jace grabbed her arm, his stun-knife raised toward the node. "Nyx, what's watching us?" he asked, his voice low. The node's light pulsed, and something moved inside it—a shadow, human-shaped, rune-eyed.
Nyx's heart raced. "It's not just a machine," she said, her voice shaky. The runes in her mind urged her to connect with the node, to touch it. Her holo-pad buzzed, and Echo's pixelated form flickered, its glow faint. "Nyx, the node holds the Source Code's core," Echo said. "It's where Nexus made you—and me." Nyx's stomach twisted. "You were made?" she asked. Echo's voice softened. "A fragment of the Code, like you. But you're the anchor. Touch the node—it'll show you." Show her what? The truth about Elara Voss, or a trap?
Jace scanned the chamber, his knife glinting in the node's light. "This feels like a bad idea," he said, his eyes flicking to her. "That mech's still out there, and this place is screaming Nexus." His worry was real, but Nyx caught a flicker of something else—guilt? She pushed the thought away. The runes were pulling her, and the memory of the lab woman's words—You're stronger—gave her courage. She stepped toward the node, its surface rippling like liquid light. Her holo-pad buzzed, syncing with the runes, and her fingers itched to code.
Another memory hit: the lab, the woman slipping a data chip into Nyx's hand, whispering, "Find the node, Elara. It's your freedom." Guards stormed in, dragging her away, her screams fading. Nyx's chest ached—was that woman her mother, or just a scientist who cared? She reached for the node, her hand trembling. Jace grabbed her wrist. "Nyx, wait. If you're wrong, we're dead." His touch was warm, his eyes intense, and for a moment, she wanted to trust him completely. But the runes pulsed, and she pulled free. "I need to know," she said.
Her fingers brushed the node, and the chamber exploded into light. Runes swirled around her, projecting a hologram: the lab, her child self, and the woman, now clear—Dr. Lena Voss, her badge read. "Elara's the only one who can hold the Source Code," Lena said to a scientist. "Prometheus needs her, but she can destroy it too." The hologram shifted, showing other children, their eyes glowing, then collapsing, their bodies failing. Nyx's heart pounded—she was the only survivor. The memory burned: Lena hiding her, saying, "You'll rewrite the Code, Elara." Then darkness, and Nyx running, free but alone.
The hologram faded, but the node's runes surged into Nyx, flooding her mind. She screamed, her body shaking as the Source Code poured through her, showing Neon Crucible's network—every cable, every server, all tied to her. She was its heart, its key. Her vision cleared, and she saw the shadow in the node—a girl, rune-eyed, like her. "Sister," it whispered, its voice in her head. Nyx stumbled back, blood dripping from her eyes. Jace caught her, his face pale. "What the hell was that?" he asked, his voice raw.
Echo's form flickered. "The node's alive, Nyx. It holds the others—trapped souls." Trapped? Nyx's head spun, the memory of Lena's words echoing: You'll rewrite the Code. Could she free them? The chamber shook, the door buckling as the mech's claws tore at it. Prometheus's voice boomed: "Subject 17, you cannot hide." Nyx typed, her fingers guided by the runes, weaving a spell to shield the chamber. The node pulsed, amplifying her power, but her body screamed, her vision blackening. She was burning out, just like Echo warned.
Jace dragged her toward a side tunnel, the mech's claws breaking through. "We're leaving!" he shouted. Nyx's spell held, but the node's shadow-girl spoke again: "Stay, Elara. Free us." Nyx's heart tore—she wanted to help, but her strength was gone. The mech burst in, its rune-eyes blazing, its arm swinging. Jace tackled her into the tunnel, a plasma bolt sizzling past. Nyx's holo-pad flashed, showing a new feed: Lena Voss, bloodied, in a cell, whispering, "Elara, find the chip." The feed cut off, and the mech roared, its voice now Lena's: "Come back to me."
To Be Continued…